Illinois to rededicate Alma Mater statue

URBANA – The University of Illinois plans to rededicate the campus' beloved Alma Mater statue.

The ceremony is planned for Friday morning at the school's flagship campus in Champaign-Urbana. Chancellor Phyllis Wise is scheduled to speak along with other dignitaries. Music professor Ollie Watts Davis will sing the official state song, "Illinois."

June 11 also marks the statue's 85th anniversary. The Alma Mater was created by Loredo Taft and dedicated in 1929.

The statue was removed in 2012 for restoration and returned in early April.

Students and others regularly take pictures of themselves and friends and family with the Alma Mater.